The crisis in Niger is shaking all of West Africa, and its repercussions are being felt across the continent. After the Berlin Conference of 1884 - in which 13 European states met, with the United States and the Ottoman Empire also in attendance, to divide Africa’s territory (ten times the size of Europe) among themselves - weapons, as well as religions, doctrines, ideas, and other ways of life, the likes of which it had never seen, made their way to the continent.
The era was one of violence, oppression, slavery, and the plunder of its wealth. For many years, the peoples of the continent were deprived of education or services, and its inhabitants were tools exploited like animals by the colonizers. As the European industrial revolution raged on, the colonizers took everything under the soil of the continent and used it in their factories, while Africa’s people were shipped over to work in farms and factories.
Most African countries gained their independence in the early 1960s. However, the long colonial era left deep marks on these newly formed entities. The borders separating African countries were drawn by the colonizer, splitting single tribes into two or more different countries.
Since their local languages had not been developed for educational instruction or professional use, these newly formed countries found themselves compelled to use the languages of their colonizers. English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese were the languages of instruction at colonial schools. These European languages studied by the elites, some of whom completed their studies in Europe, did not trickle down to the broader population, who continued to speak their native languages, creating a divide in every African nation.
These elites, some of whom would take the reins of power after independence, were disconnected from the rest of the population. African capitals remained a long way from the broad segments of societies living in rural areas, villages, and forests. Tribes remained the primary unit of social organization for much of the population, with tribal chiefs and leaders calling the shots on everyday questions and serving as mediators. No sense of citizenship, a cornerstone of the nation-state, ever emerged, nor did robust civil societies, national institutions, unions, etc...
States’ lack of an economic identity entrenched underdevelopment, instability, poverty, and dependency on the former colonial power. States’ economic identities are defined on the basis of the assets available to a country, including minerals, rivers, rainfall, and more. Its assets determine whether a country’s economy should be primarily agricultural, industrial, or oriented toward services. National educational programs in engineering, industry, and agriculture are developed around each country’s natural resources, allowing it to maximize the “added value” of its economy.
Most African nations didn’t establish mining or timber industries, nor did they do enough to develop their agro-processing. Moreover, their policies hindered foreign investment and partnerships with global corporations, which would have allowed local industries to rise and for the continent to export finished commodities instead of raw materials.
Early on in the post-colonial period, rulers focused on establishing and solidifying the symbols and protocols of their independence, making a show of their sovereignty and leadership. Crucial questions regarding the new entities’ economic identities and industrial development were largely overlooked, as was the need to cater educational programs to this economic identity.
After many countries on the continent got caught in the whirlwind of military coups, launched by high-ranking and junior officers alike, who leapfrogged to power and sought quick profits, they raced to export everything. Consequently, major Western corporations began to wield significant influence in some of these countries.
We can highlight three significant projects that the African continent witnessed. The most notable among them is Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s renewal project. Zenawi gave his country an economic identity. He wanted Ethiopia to become an agricultural powerhouse, as it has vast agricultural territory, an abundance of water and rivers, and a rich agricultural and pastoral heritage.
Upon assuming the prime minister’s office, Zenawi sent many students to South Africa, Europe, and the United States for study and training in agricultural research centers. He also opened the country’s agricultural industry up to foreign investment. Since agriculture is labor intensive and there was an abundance of Ethiopians willing to work in agriculture, his policy created job opportunities for millions while also increasing output substantially.
Twenty percent of the country’s arable land was cultivated, growing its GDP by 43%. Poverty declined, Ethiopians’ lifespan was stretched 13 years, modern roads were built, and political issues with neighboring countries were resolved. Ethiopia also built a large fleet of airplanes to export its commodities and began building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Meles Zenawi’s project was to turn Ethiopia into an African economic powerhouse.
The second African model/project we will discuss here is of the Kingdom of Morocco, which laid a long-term plan to expand domestic industry. It adopted policies favorable to foreign partnerships, opening its doors to car manufacturers. This created thousands of youths with a stable income, training, and education, and Morocco has become an automobile exporter. Investments in solar and wind energy, among others, were also extensive. Through bold political reforms, the Amazigh language was turned into an official language of the state, thereby institutionalizing citizenship, a pillar of the modern state.
The third model is that of Rwanda. After the Hutus and Tutsis, the two largest tribes in the country, fought a brutal genocide war against each other, President Paul Kagame managed to impose peace through the force of his policies and an inclusive and equitable development project. He replaced French with English as the country’s language of instruction, opened the country to foreign investment within the framework of a well-thought-out strategic plan, expanded agriculture, and enshrined the rule of law. Rwanda’s GDP grew 13 percent.
National economic initiatives that are adapted to countries’ natural resources, set up educational and technical training that allows industry to prosper, and emphasize creating added value, whereby manufacturing is domestically and finished commodities are exported abroad, are the path to Africa’s progress. Laying the rule of law and maximizing transparency gives rise to project-based states and leads nations towards progress, prosperity, and independence. Military coups will not stop so long as there are no genuine national projects.
